As a person ages, it is not uncommon to enlist various types of aid and support from multiple sources, including an adult child, financial advisers, lawyers, medical professionals and more. While this type of support can be helpful, it can also be a source of distress. There are many cases of elder abuse regarding financial fraud, scams and other deceptions.
Some types of elder abuse can be difficult to resolve, especially when the law appears to be in a suspect’s favor. For example, if someone has afforded power of attorney to a trusted individual to make financial decisions, and then that person makes decisions for his or her own financial gain, it may be difficult to prove elder abuse because the person had the authority to make financial decisions on the elder’s behalf. There are several common types of financial abuse to be aware of and to know where to seek support to resolve.
Elder abuse often occurs through identity theft and fraud
Scammers will sometimes work for months to gain an elder’s trust before stealing his or her identity and committing financial fraud. However, financial deception can take place even in situations where a person has been given access to an elder’s money. An example of this would be a person given money to shop for supplies who then secretly uses some of the money for personal expenditures.
Using threats to demand money
Sadly, elder abuse sometimes occurs in Florida when adult children threaten their parents to extort money from them. Telling a parent that he or she can never see grandchildren unless a certain amount of money is given is one example of abusive behavior. Demanding early access to an inheritance under threat is another type of wrongful treatment that constitutes abuse of an elderly person. An elder law attorney can help investigate and resolve such matters.